1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to a system and method of testing operation of a memory card with an electronic host device.
2. Description of the Related Art
The strong growth in demand for portable consumer electronics is driving the need for high-capacity storage devices. Non-volatile semiconductor memory devices, such as flash memory storage cards, are becoming widely used to meet the ever-growing demands on digital information storage and exchange. Their portability, versatility and rugged design, along with their high reliability and large capacity, have made such memory devices ideal for use in a wide variety of electronic devices, including for example digital cameras, digital music players, video game consoles, PDAs and cellular telephones.
There is an ever-present push to provide greater device capability in a smaller form factor. As a result, some devices have had to resort to positioning the memory card slot somewhere within the interior of the device. For example, as shown in prior art FIG. 1, in order to provide the most compact form factor, some cellular telephone manufacturers have resorted to providing a telephone 20 having a memory card slot 22 positioned beneath a cover 24. It is also known in cellular telephones and other electronic devices to position the memory card slot 22 beneath the battery slot. Thus, both the cover and battery must be removed to allow access to the memory card slot 22. Still other electronic devices have the memory card slot positioned elsewhere within the interior of the device so as to be generally inaccessible when the device is assembled and operational.
One drawback to having the memory card slot positioned within the interior of the device is that it is not accessible to test equipment used to test the operation of the memory card, electronic device and/or the exchange of signals therebetween. In particular, prior to a device manufacturer shipping a line of electronic devices, the manufacturer will typically perform fault testing on one or more of the devices. This fault test may include transferring data between the portable memory card positioned within the card slot 22 and the electronic device to ensure proper data transfer. The testing equipment may include a debugging apparatus, such as a logic analyzer and/or an oscilloscope, so that, when a problem is detected, the fault may be debugged and the specific source of the problem identified.
Such testing operations are carried out by connecting to the signal contact pads in the memory card slot of the host device and testing the device during its normal operation. However, with designs where the memory card slot is enclosed within the housing, for example buried beneath the battery and/or cover, it is not possible to access the memory card slot in order to perform the fault testing.